Borussia Dortmund have accused Arsene Wenger showing disrespect, saying the Arsenal manager should focus on his own players in response to comments made in relation to their striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

The 28-year-old Gabonese international recently sat out Dortmund’s league outing against Wolfsburg for disciplinary reasons and has subsequently been linked with a move to the Gunners, who are expected to lose star forward Alexis Sanchez to Premier League rivals Manchester United this month.

Wenger, during his pre-match press conference building up to their meeting with Crystal Palace on Saturday, was asked about Aubameyang amid intense transfer speculation, which appears to have angered Dortmund’s sporting director, Michael Zorc.

“We think it is a lack of respect when you get involved with players who are playing for another team,” Zorc is quoted by the Telegraph.

“There is no contact with Arsenal. We can only assume that Arsène Wenger has enough to think about when it comes to the performances of his own players.”